


Empty-Nesters

by paupotter_4869



Series: The Most Important Thing. . . [16]
Category: The Last of Us (Video Games)
Genre: F/F, Father-Daughter Relationship, Growing Up, Joel realizes he cannot force her to stay, Late Night Conversations, Rain, dance, ellie's growing up and leaves the nest, emancipation, empty-nesters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:13:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28135965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paupotter_4869/pseuds/paupotter_4869
Summary: Joel realizes Ellie's no longer the little kid he once knew and figures she deserves a vote of confidence regarding her having her own place.
Relationships: Dina/Ellie (The Last of Us), Ellie & Joel (The Last of Us)
Series: The Most Important Thing. . . [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2033674
Comments: 4
Kudos: 22





	Empty-Nesters

**Author's Note:**

> All credit to Naughty Dogs. I do not own anything. Enjoy ! :)

“Come on, _run!”_ Ellie ordered, pushing Dina forward, faster. 

They shrieked and laughed as they weathered the rain, being a little bit more dramatic than necessary about it. The rain was only a bit cold, but wouldn’t qualify as a typhoon exactly, and they’d suffered worse weather conditions out on patrols. They also knew it was pretty late and they should know better than to wake anyone up, much less Tommy or Maria, who just lived a few houses away. 

Still, they couldn’t stop themselves. They were giggling and soaking wet by the time they reached Ellie’s porch and she climbed up the steps. When Ellie turned around she realized Dina had followed her to the safety of the porch, instead of running a few more blocks to her place. 

They rested against the veranda to catch their breath, smiles all over. 

“Oh, man. That really woke me up,” Ellie scowled. She wiggled her arms and head, trying to dry off her body, until she felt Dina’s touch. 

“You look like a puppy,” she chuckled. 

“Is that a compliment?”

“Of course. You’re an adorable, wet, angry puppy.”

Looking anywhere for a distraction, Ellie saw the towels folded on the chair. Joel had put them there for her while she was out with Dina and the others and started raining. 

She grabbed one of them and handed Dina the spare towel. They’d both rested already, and yet Dina showed no intention of leaving—or venturing out in the storm again, rather. Not that Ellie minded too much. 

Speaking of Joel, it seemed he was still up. She had seen some lights on, but she’d figured he’d left them on for her on purpose before calling it a night, but at that moment, a song started playing from his study on the second floor. It was a slow, nostalgic tune. 

“He’s in a good mood,” Ellie whispered. 

“And what about you?” Dina demanded, making Ellie roll her eyes. She always asked that after meeting the other boys, because she knew the answer. 

“It was fine,” granted Ellie. 

“Just _fine?”_

Dina wasn’t pleased at all with Ellie’s choice of adjective to describe the evening they’d just spent with their friends. 

“Come here,” she ordered, throwing the towel back on the chair. 

She pulled Ellie in, which made her yelp at the sudden movement, and Dina hushed her so she wouldn’t wake up any neighbors or disturb Joel upstairs and stop playing. Because, after all, Dina’s goal was to dance with Ellie to Joel’s song. Ellie didn’t complain or whine, instead, she accepted the challenge immediately with a tilted smile, because she knew what Dina was trying to prove. 

Putting her arms around each other, they swayed slowly, almost beautifully as they pretended to have complete confidence in the steps and the dancing. The song went on and on, it was difficult to pinpoint when it ended and when Joel started playing it again, and the two girls remained down there, not cold anymore, unfathomed now by the thunder and the lightning. 

“Well? What’s the verdict now?” Dina pressed after some long minutes. 

“Just. . . Fine,” Ellie repeated with a shrug. 

It made Dina burst out laughing and she pushed Ellie away. 

“You’re such a pussy. And a fucking liar,” she accused, not as pissed off as her words and actions would indicate. She grabbed the towel again and sat down on the chair, looking at Ellie shrug off the evening’s events with her nonchalant disposition. “So, will we have a rematch at the Winter Dance?” 

“You can try asking, but I’m not making any promises,” said Ellie, crossing her arms. 

“Well, after shooting me down like that, I think I really should get going,” chuckled Dina. She stood and walked down the steps, under Ellie's concerned eyes. 

“See you tomorrow?” she asked over the veranda, forcing Dina to stop under the rain. 

“Sure.” 

Anxious, Ellie leaned forward, bound to insist on a more concise answer, until Dina turned around one last time and winked at her. Ellie’s worries deflated—she was still afraid out of her mind that she’d scare Dina, Jesse, and the other kids away. 

Leaning against the column, she watched as Dina disappeared into the soft rain. Upstairs, Joel’s song continued, and Ellie smiled begrudgingly. She could still feel Dina’s touch on her waist, and if she closed her eyes, she was able to picture Dina’s hand in hers, her strong grip, the calluses, and scars on her palm and fingers. 

_I really need to get Joel to teach me that song,_ she concluded. 

After Dina disappeared, Ellie went into the house, and climbed up the stairs to the second floor. Joel was still playing and Ellie stopped by his study, where she saw him with his feet on the table, the guitar on his lap, trying out different tunes. 

He knew that she was there watching, of course. He was just giving Ellie the option of going straight to bed without being forced into a late-night parental conversation. In spite of being accurately aware of that, Ellie knocked on the door and Joel stopped playing. Maybe she did want to have a word with him. There was nothing special in her mind she wanted to tell him. She just knew how precious every damned second of this life was and didn’t want to waste a perfect opportunity to enjoy. . . Domesticity. And companionship. And intimacy. 

Unaware of her thoughts, Joel turned his head around, as the last few notes he’d played lingered in the air. Ellie smiled upon seeing Joel’s face light up as he usually did, despite the tiredness. 

“Night, kiddo. Did you have fun?” 

“Yeah, I suppose. What was the song you were playing earlier?” she asked. “You’ve got to teach it to me.” 

“Alright, I will,” he chuckled at her vehemence. “Any particular reason?” 

“Not really,” Ellie shrugged, but she realized that, somehow, Joel knew. They both pretended not to know her reasons, however. 

“Well, I’ll teach it to you tomorrow,” Joel stated. 

“You know you don’t have to wait up for me,” she said, leaning against the door frame. “Nothing bad could happen to me in here.”

“I know, I know,” Joel sighed deeply, shrugging it off. He didn’t feel bad or ashamed of his overprotectiveness. “Don’t blame this old man. Just couldn’t help it.” 

"It's OK. I'm just sorry you lost hours of sleep for me."

"Not _that_ old yet, kiddo," he winked at her, making Ellie chuckle softly.

Ellie knew it was futile trying to talk Joel out of worrying about her, for he would never stop worrying. He’d stated so in such clear terms before, and he proved true to his words every damn day, when he checked her patrols, when he woke her up for breakfast, when he checked she made time to eat lunch. They just had to live with it. Ellie had accepted so just a few days after they’d settled in Jackson. 

At least she could now say she had someone who cared about her, who worried about where she was and what she was doing. As annoying as such supervision was sometimes, it also felt wonderful. It made her feel safe and loved and taken care of—things she’d never known before meeting Joel. She had a home, here. 

“And what’re we going to do about it?” asked Joel, pulling her back to the present. 

She perked up, because she definitely understood a second meaning to Joel’s words. He turned on his wheels chair, that smug little smile on his face as he waved at Ellie to sit down, as well. She did so eagerly, leaning forward. 

“Is there something we can do about it?” she asked eagerly. 

“Guessing we can try and make an agreement,” Joel pondered. “All kids leave the nest at some point, don’t they?”

“For real?”

“I’m not exactly your legal guardian and I won’t keep you locked in your room for a minute longer than you want to stay here. So, what do you say, huh?”

“I’d say you’re way cooler than I’d ever given you credit for.” 

“Oh, well, thank you,” chuckled Joe, softly punching Ellie on the arm for that assessment. “There are, however, some conditions.” 

“Name them.” 

Chuckling under his breath at her eagerness and excitement, Joel raised a single eyebrow--a challenge of some sorts, warning Ellie to wait to hear the conditions before she agrees to the bargain. Not at all deterred or scared, Ellie crossed her arms as she waited for him to list those forsaken prerequisits. Given the look on Ellie’s face, he knew she would accept them all, no trouble. 

“First of all, we keep movie night. We have family dinners at least every other week. And we still get to go on paired patrols now and then.” 

“Alright,” Ellie accepted straight away, as he knew she would. And, for that reason, he decided to push her buttons a little bit further. 

“Also, I get to come by at any time to make sure you haven’t died in a pile of garbage.” 

“Your lack of faith is a little bit insulting,” she scoffed, unable to meet his eye, now. 

“How many times have I seen you with a broom in your hands?” Joel retorted, raising an eyebrow at her—challenging her to deny his statement and accusations. 

“I’ll be fine. I promise. You won’t have to babysit me.” 

“You’re going to have to indulge me a little bit, kiddo, if this is going to work,” said Joel, shrugging, a nonchalant tone. He knew Ellie needed her space, it was actually a wonder she hadn’t mentioned anything about leaving this house earlier, but still, he wanted to make sure she would be alright on her own, running a house. “At least in the beginning. If you do prove to be worthy of my trust, I’ll back off.” 

“Fine. I accept,” she said in the end with a dramatic roll of eyes. 

“Good,” Joel approved, nodding his head, and then waved vaguely towards the direction of the dormitories. “Now get some rest, missus. We’ll talk with Tommy in the morning.” 

“Since I’m going to have my own place soon enough, is bedtime negotiable?” 

“Not while you’re living under my roof. And when you do leave, I’m sure your new neighbors will appreciate you not making a ruckus and too much fuss in the middle of the night,” he warned her before she started getting any ridiculous ideas. 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Ellie scowled under her breath. “Goodnight, then, Joel.” 

“Goodnight, kiddo. Sleep well.” 

He turned around and picked up his guitar just as Ellie closed the door behind him. He could hear her footsteps out in the hall, heard her bedroom’s door slam shut, getting ready for bed. 

It did pain him knowing Ellie would soon be leaving this house—as every other parent in the world struggled with their kids leaving the nest, he reckoned. He never went through this with Sarah and now he finds out it’s quite some deal for a father. Still, he wasn’t too worried. She’d proven to be responsible enough regarding her duties around the town, especially when it came down to the patrols. He knew she’d be alright, with or without his help. Wouldn’t hurt to check in now and then, though.


End file.
